The influence of Merce Cunningham’s method on the development of modern dance

The article analyzes the conceptual foundations of the method of the American choreographer Merce Cunningham (1919-2009), thanks to which he became the progenitor of the postmodern trend in world choreography. The author of the article brie y outlines the background of the emergence of modern dance, identi es the main milestones of Cunningham’s creative path. The article reveals the essence of the principle of aleatorics, which is the basis of Cunningham’s method, and describes the main features of his method. The author notes the connection of Cunningham’s discoveries with the philosophical and aesthetic pursuits of the second half of the twentieth century and dwells in detail on the signi cance and application of Cunningham’s method in teaching dance theory and practice today. The sources of the article were theoretical and journalistic works by domestic and foreign researchers, as well as an extensive interview with M. Cunningham, recorded in 1977 by French journalist J. Leshev and edited by him in 1983.